diff --git a/servers/vfs/file.h b/servers/vfs/file.h
index 74552a58e..fda94da93 100644
--- a/servers/vfs/file.h
+++ b/servers/vfs/file.h
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 EXTERN struct filp {
   mode_t filp_mode;		/* RW bits, telling how file is opened */
   int filp_flags;		/* flags from open and fcntl */
+  int filp_state;		/* state for crash recovery */
   int filp_count;		/* how many file descriptors share this slot?*/
 /*  struct inode *filp_ino;*/	/* pointer to the inode */
 
@@ -17,6 +18,7 @@ EXTERN struct filp {
    */
   int filp_selectors;		/* select()ing processes blocking on this fd */
   int filp_select_ops;		/* interested in these SEL_* operations */
+  int filp_select_flags;	/* Select flags for the filp */
 
   /* following are for fd-type-specific select() */
   int filp_pipe_select_ops;
@@ -24,4 +26,17 @@ EXTERN struct filp {
 
 #define FILP_CLOSED	0	/* filp_mode: associated device closed */
 
+#define FS_NORMAL	0	/* file descriptor can be used normally */
+#define FS_NEEDS_REOPEN	1	/* file descriptor needs to be re-opened */
+
+#define FSF_UPDATE	1	/* The driver should be informed about new
+				 * state.
+				 */
+#define FSF_BUSY	2	/* Select operation sent to driver but no 
+				 * reply yet.
+				 */
+#define FSF_BLOCK	4	/* Request is blocking, the driver should 
+				 * keep state.
+				 */
+
 #define NIL_FILP (struct filp *) 0	/* indicates absence of a filp slot */
diff --git a/servers/vfs/filedes.c b/servers/vfs/filedes.c
index f1fae581c..332b37957 100644
--- a/servers/vfs/filedes.c
+++ b/servers/vfs/filedes.c
@@ -53,6 +53,8 @@ PUBLIC int get_fd(int start, mode_t bits, int *k, struct filp **fpt)
 		f->filp_select_ops = 0;
 		f->filp_pipe_select_ops = 0;
 		f->filp_flags = 0;
+		f->filp_state = FS_NORMAL;
+		f->filp_select_flags = 0;
 		*fpt = f;
 		return(OK);
 	}